Rosacea is a chronic benign dermatosis which affects mainly the face of subjects with fine and light skin, between 30 and 60 years of age, more particularly women. It is characterized by a persistent facial erythema, frequent flushes and telangiectasia. Although papules and pustules can intermittently occur, rosacea should not be confused with acne, since the comedones and cysts which characterize acne are not symptoms of rosacea.
Four stages are distinguishable in the progression of rosacea:                the stage of vasomotor flushes of the face and of the neck and shoulders, caused by changes in temperature, physical effort, emotions, solar exposure or during the ingestion of certain foods or drinks. This phenomenon is due to a delay in the emptying of the venous plexus;        the stage of acne rosacea or erythro-acne rosacea which corresponds to a permanent erythematous state of the face associated with telangiectasia. The erythrosis has a variable colour which may range from light pink to intense red or even purplish. This stage can sometimes be accompanied by a permanent hard oedema;        the inflammatory stage with the episode of inflammatory pustules and papules on an erythemato-telangiectatic base; phase of a state characteristic of rosacea; and        the stage of rhinophyma which is essentially masculine and manifests itself by constant swelling of certain areas of the face. The facies is rubicund and the nose is red and large, covered in bumps, associated with sebaceous hyperplasia and fibrous reorganization of the connective tissue.        
Various effective treatments have been proposed, which not only can slow the progression of rosacea, but also cure the symptoms described above. They may be cosmetic, dermatological or physical treatments.
Thus, it is known to use anti-acne rosacea products, having a vasculotropic effect, for treating mild to moderate acne rosacea characteristic of the first two stages of rosacea. At the third stage, the inflammatory lesions can be treated with an antibiotic gel or cream based on metronidazole or azelaic acid, for example. In the case of a more severe condition, oral antibiotic therapy may be combined with the topical treatment. The use of tetracyclines is recommended at this stage. At the fourth stage of rosacea, only the use of physical methods such as laser is possible because no medicament is effective.
Now, these treatments, and in particular the cosmetic products topically applied to skin with acne rosacea, have the disadvantage of being relatively irritating and therefore poorly tolerated by subjects who generally have a very sensitive skin. The least irritating treatments are moreover the least effective.
It is therefore possible to understand the importance of acting from the first stages of rosacea in order to avoid its aggravation, by having recourse to nonaggressive cosmetic treatments for the skin which can also be used at the third stage of rosacea, in combination with antibiotic therapy.